Even as some people were still finishing up their Thanksgiving dinners, the most dedicated of shoppers in Hudson County were already preparing themselves to get infamous "doorbuster" deals in the wee hours of yesterday -- better known as Black Friday.

"I got here (at Macy's in Newport Centre mall) at 1:30 in the morning," said Chhaya Sewqobind, who's visiting from the Netherlands. "I still have to go through a couple more stores, but I want to give this a full eight hours of work to make this all worth it."

Since the Netherlands does not have this kind of retail event, she wanted to see the madness first hand.

While Macy's opened at midnight, most shoppers waited for the rest of Newport's stores to open a few hours later. The most sought after items this year? Early indication is tablet computers, televisions, and gaming systems like X-Box.

"It hasn't been too busy or too crazy, it's been very good. Best Buy and Express really have some good deals today," said Parth Patel of Jersey City.

The National Retail Federation expects holiday retail sales to increase this year 2.8 percent to $465.6 billion. That growth is lower than the 5.2 percent increase that retailers saw last year.

"We're really looking forward to this holiday season," said Jill Daniel, director of marketing and business development at Newport Centre. "I think because of where we are located and the ease of transportation, many shoppers will be able to access what specials the mall offers."

For Rafael Bishay, of Staten Island, shopping on Black Friday isn't all about getting great deals. Shopping with friends has become a tradition. The group of 10 started at 4 a.m., when the mall opened, and by 7:30 had already made their way through most of the stores.

"This is all tiring, but it really is a lot of fun. It would not be the holiday season without it," said Bishay.

While shopping malls and big-box stores were the most popular places to be on Friday, others like Beatrice Wald and her daughter, of Bayonne, spent their time shopping at local businesses like those on Broadway in Bayonne.

"The mall is way too much to deal with things like parking and the crowds, especially with my young daughter. These shops along Broadway are great for the clothes we're looking for," said Wald.

In Hoboken, shoe store Via Mode has a lot is riding on the holiday shopping season. After being flooded earlier this year and unable to make money fortwo months, the Washington Street store is counting on Christmas sales to help them pull through.

"We're hoping to do well," said two-year employee Crystel Flores. "We had a flood before the hurricane and we lost a lot of shoes."